Pro Kabaddi League: Profiling the all-rounders from each team before season nine

All-rounders, in the meantime, are expected to cover both departments. The depth and space they add to a squad can be highly beneficial in crucial times. 

Here is the lineup of all-rounders for all 12 franchises and a brief account of the top players in the list before the upcoming edition takes off!

Bengal Warriors

Deepak Niwas Hooda, Ajinkya Rohidas Kapre, Rohit Kumar, Ashish Kumar Sangwan, Balaji D, Vinod Kumar, and Manoj Gowda K.

The arsenal of all-rounders in the Bengal Warriors is led by Deepak Niwas Hooda, a dependable and experienced player who could play a key role this season. 

He secured 120 points last season but wasn't retained by Jaipur Pink Panthers. Deepak has scored 973 raid points and 90 tackle points in 140 matches over his PKL career. 

Bengaluru Bulls

Rahul Khatik, and Sachin Narwal.

Having just two all-rounders in the team will not hold the team back. Both players are skilled in the sport, and Narwal's average strike rate of 69.7 per cent would allow him a chance to exceed his current record - 65 raid points in 31 matches. 

Dabang Delhi KC

Vijay Malik, Reza Katoulinezhad, and Tejas Maruti Patil.

Dabang Delhi's all-rounder squad includes big names like Vijay Malik and Iranian all-rounder Reza Katoulinezhad who was roped in by the defending champions for INR 10 lakhs. 

Tejas Maruti Patel will drag in more power as a good cover/right raider. They might set up a strong partnership with Malik, who had a raiding success rate of 42 per cent. 

He will expect to cross his season eight tally of 162 points in the ninth season.

Gujarat Giants

Arkam Shaikh, Shankar Bhimraj Gadai, Rohan Singh, and Parteek Dahiya.

Gujarat Giants are one of the most successful teams in the league. With four all-rounders in their squad, they can create a heavy impact with the addition of former Patna Pirates good raider Parteek Dahiya also seems promising. 

Haryana Steelers

Nitin Rawal

Nitin Rawal's PKL career took off with the Pink Panthers in season five, and he received the New Young Player tag that year. He currently holds a record of 192 points in 59 matches in the competition. 

His famous Running Hand touch could leave the opposition alarmed and defenceless. 

Jaipur Pink Panthers

Rahul Gorakh Dhanawade

The Pink Panthers snapped up Dhanawade for INR 10 lakhs, and their squad has strong players this season. 

Patna Pirates

Rohit Gulia, Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh, Sajin Chandrasekar, Abdul Inzamam S, Daniel Omondi Odhiambo, and Sagar Kumar.

Patna Pirates, the most successful team in PKL, have six-all rounders in their squad, two of which are foreign players. The most popular all-rounder in the list is Rohit Gulia, who scored 241 points for the Gujarat Titans in three seasons as an all-rounder.

Puneri Paltan

Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, and Govind Gurjar.

Iranian Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh scored 108 points in 20 matches in the eighth season. He is a part of the Iran national kabaddi team in the international circuit and played for the team that won gold in the 2018 Asian Games.

Telegu Titan

K. Hanumanthu, Hamid Mirzaei Nader, and Ravinder Pahal.

The Telegu Titans have a strong lineup with three all-rounders who can give them the edge they need this season.  

Tamil Thalaivas

Viswanath V., Thanushan Laxmamoha, and K. Abhimanyu.

Viswanath V. is a good raider left corner, an unusual combination that could positively impact the Tamil Thailavas. 

U Mumba

Gholamabbas Korouki

Gholamabbas Korouki is an Iranian professional kabaddi player who has played matches for the national team. 

U.P Yoddhas

Gurdeep Sangwan, Nehal Desai, and Nitin Panwar.

Nehal Desai joined the UP Yoddhas for INR 10 lakhs in the 2022 auctions in Mumbai.